This invention relates generally to shock isolators and, more specifically, to a single shock isolator providing damping in three coordinate axis.
The concept of shock isolator is old in the art. Typically, some type of a damping device is placed between two objects to attenuate the force and displacement between the two objects. These type of isolators are useful in many applications and are particularly useful to protect sensitive equipment on board ships or the like. Generally, it is preferred to have a shock isolator that isolates from shocks in all directions, that is a six degree of freedom shock isolator that responds to shock in the x, y, and z axis.
When elastomers placed in a compressive condition they are generally not effective in damping or attenuating a shock force However, if the elastomer is place in a shear condition the elastomer is generally more responsive to damping the shock forces. The difficulty in using a single solid or massive elastomer as a shock damping device is that it is difficult to have the single elastomer simultaneously function as both a support and a damping device in all three major axis.
The present invention utilizes a single elastomer to provides a low cost shock isolator that simultaneously supports sensitive equipment and attenuate shocks in all three major axis to protect the sensitive equipment supported by the shock isolator. That is, the elastomer is configured so as to provide six degrees of freedom by cantileverly supporting a connector within housing so that regardless of the direction of the displacement of the connector it always places the elastomer in a substantial shear condition where the elastomer is most effective in damping the shock forces to the supported equipment.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a shock isolator having a cylindrical housing securable to a support structure with the cylindrical housing containing a bell shaped elastomer having a base secured to the cylindrical housing and an axially offset apex surface cantileverly secured to a connector that supports equipment to be isolated form shock with the cantileverly support of the apex surface from the base insuring that any displacement of the connector produces a substantial shearing action in the elastomer to generate effective damping of any shocks or vibrations to the system.